


Don't Bring Me Down

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: Drama, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-06-22
Updated: 2002-06-22
Packaged: 2017-11-01 06:27:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/353111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Villain of the Week formula leads to Clark/Lex romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Bring Me Down

**Author's Note:**

> First venture into Smallville fic. Well, venture that I actually liked. Be kind to me, I used to be in the Dawson's Creek fandom. Un-beta-ed (the position is open!), all mistakes are completely my own. 

## Don't Bring Me Down

by Kat

<http://www.geocities.com/paceyisaslut>

* * *

Title: Don't Bring Me Down  
Author: Kat [Katcat14@aol.com]  
Summary: Villain of the Week formula leads to Clark/Lex romance. Category: Clark/Lex  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Me. Don't Bring Me Down is by the Electric Light Orchestra. Archive: Sure thing!  
Feedback: Please.  


"I'll tell you once more, before I get off the floor. Don't bring me down." 

There had to be something wrong with not being able to say no to people. Chloe's latest fascination was, surprisingly, the school's swim team. Formerly pathetically slow, the Crows had managed to completely turn their season around. To pardon the pun, they were blowing their competition out of the water. 

Sitting side-by-side with Chloe and Pete in the humid Smallville High pool, Clark felt himself being caught up in the enthusiasm that had swept the town. Chloe had practically had to drag him kicking and screaming to the meet. He'd spent the first few events whining subtly, reminding her of the plans he'd had. Eventually, the pouting had slowed and he was cheering happily without even realizing it. 

Not one Smallvillian at the meet was surprised by the declared win. As Chloe, Clark and Pete were filing out, they heard the team chanting and cheering, overjoyed by their victory. 

"Wasn't that amazing?" Chloe gasped, grabbing Clark's jacket sleeve. "They killed them! Not one person from the other team placed ahead of Smallville." She grinned and laughed happily. 

"Hard to believe they didn't win once last year," Clark replied. Milling that over in his head, Clark asked, "Did they have some new trainer this year?" 

Pete shook his head. "I asked Freddie Castle about that the other day. He said the coach hasn't changed one part of their routine since he was a freshmen." 

The wheels of her mind obviously beginning to turn, Chloe stopped in her tracks. "There must have been something. They had to have trained differently somehow. It's impossible to change your record so drastically by doing the exact same thing." She looked at Clark quizzically. 

"Don't look at me, this is the first I've ever even been to a meet." Looking at his watch, Clark groaned. "I was supposed to meet Lex at the Talon an hour ago." 

"Quit complaining, you had a great time." There was no edge to Chloe's words. She was far too distracted by the possible investigation on her hands. "Pete, let's go see if we can talk to some of the swimmers. We'll see you later, Clark." Waving quickly, Chloe headed back towards the pool, Pete hurrying behind her. Clark rolled his eyes and climbed into his father's truck. 

The ride to the Talon was short, but Clark felt bad for wasting Lex's time. He had wanted to call Lex while he was at the meet to let him know that he might be late, but he forgot once he began to get really into the game. As he parked, he saw Lex walking out of the coffeehouse, looking upset. 

"Lex!" He ran over to his friend and winced at the combination of a withering gaze and Lex's otherwise blank face. "I'm so sorry, Chloe made me go to the swim meet." 

Without a reaction, Lex replied coldly, "Not a problem, Clark. Cell phones are rare in Smallville." He turned away from Clark and headed towards his violet Porsche. "Perhaps we'll do this some other time." His tone wasn't very promising and Clark felt a knot starting to form in his chest. 

Grabbing Lex's arm gently, Clark maneuvered himself in front of his friend. "I know I pissed you off and made you wait. You're completely allowed to be angry with me, but I really am sorry." He bit his lip hopefully and released Lex's arm. "I'll buy you coffee." 

Relenting slightly, Lex frowned. "I've been waiting for you for an hour." 

"I know." 

"You could have called me." 

"I know." Clark tried not to make a pitiful face, the one that always caused his mother to smack him and give in to whatever he wanted. He failed. 

Groaning, Lex threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, I forgive you." Clark broke out into a happy smile. "It's a cliche, but I just can't stay mad at you, Clark." 

"It's a gift." 

"One I'd really like you to teach me. I might make a few more allies in this town." 

"So, how about that coffee?" Clark motioned towards the Talon, which was rapidly growing more and more crowded. 

Lex shook his head. "I've had enough." Pulling up his sleeve, Lex glanced at his watch. "I have to meet my father in ten minutes. He's looking to fill in Thompson Lake and put up a Cineplex." Clark looked puzzled. "A good friend of my father's from Metropolis has become a film buff as of late. He's persuaded my father to invest in about fifteen small town movie theaters so far." 

"Well, what are you doing later? After the meeting?" Clark desperately wanted to make up for hurting Lex's feelings, even if Lex had already accepted his apology. "We could continue that pool tournament. If I remember correctly, I was kicking your ass." 

Laughing good-naturedly, Lex nodded. "You're on. I'll meet you at the castle in," he paused and thought about it, "let's say two and a half hours. That should give me enough time to shoot down my father's ideas and get into a lovely family fight." 

"Sounds like a plan." 

"I'll see you later then, I don't want to keep my father waiting. He'd never pass up the chance to give me an important lecture about being on time." Lex gave Clark a small smile and got into his car. Before he tore off down Main Street, he gave Clark a friendly wave. Clark returned the gesture and felt a grin being plastered to his face. 

The Talon looked inviting, Clark saw Lana charming the hordes of customers inside. He took a seat at the bar, which was less crowded than the array of comfortable chairs and couches. Lana noticed him after a few minutes and began to work her way over to him, looking happy to see him. 

"Clark Kent, you've finally decided to show yourself." She smiled prettily at him, making him feel a little weak and blush against his control. "You know Lex was looking for you. I think he left a few minutes ago." 

"Yeah, I saw him. I went to the Crows swim meet and forgot to call him." Lana gave him a sympathetic look. "No big deal, we're hanging out later." 

"Then you can keep me company for a little while. I'm getting tired of schmoozing, if you can believe that." 

"Lana Lang, tired of being her friendly self?" 

Lana laughed and touched his arm. "Stranger things have happened." A waitress came over and Clark ordered a coffee. "How did the meet go, Clark?" 

"They won, of course. Chloe's actually on a mission to find out how they've managed to turn themselves around." Clark raised his eyebrows and thanked the waitress when she set his coffee in front of him. 

"I'd been wondering about that myself. My friend is dating the captain and she hasn't told me about anything strange. He spends the same amount of time with her as he always did." 

Shaking his head, Clark thought back to the meet again. "Pete told me that Freddie Castle said essentially the same thing. It just doesn't make any sense." Lana shrugged and seemed to give up thinking about the subject. Not wanting to bore her, Clark changed the subject to the recent success of the Talon. "You've been a lot busier than usual." 

"I suppose I owe it to the team. Everyone's been coming here to celebrate." She winked, "Maybe it's the coffee." 

"You ought to look into marketing that then. I don't think a miracle sports coffee would be hard to sell." 

As Lana opened her mouth to reply, Chloe and Pete came bursting into the Talon. "Clark!" Clark turned at the sound of his name. Chloe rushed up to him, hardly giving Lana a glance, and seemed brimming over with excitement. "I think I may have figured out what caused the sudden winning streak for the Crows." 

"What is it?" Clark asked. He could hardly believe that Chloe had a theory so quickly. 

"Thompson Lake. They started practicing there instead of at the pool." Clark gave her a blank look and she sighed in frustration. "The town was supposed to clear the lake of all the meteor fragments last year so a summer camp could be started for the local kids." 

"They finished that last year," Lana said. "Nell was on the committee to get the camp started." 

"Right, but that project won't happen until at least next summer. So the swim coach decided that the lake would be a great place to train. You know, more space and all that," Chloe told them. 

Pete nodded. "But they only swept half of the lake for fragments. Lionel Luthor showed an interest in filling in the lake, so it would be a waste to finish it and have all their hard work be for nothing." 

"Someone neglected to tell the swim team that particular piece of information. All the team members have been under the impression that the lake was completely clean." Chloe beamed proudly at her detective work. "Now we have super-fast swimmers on our hands." 

"And a completely unfair advantage," Clark added. The information didn't sit right with him. "Lex is actually meeting with his father right now about filling the lake in. Don't you think that might pose a problem for the team? Seeing as how they're headed for the state championships for the first time." 

"Most likely. A championship win could mean scholarships for a few of the seniors. And I know of at least one person who really needs it." Chloe looked thoughtful for a minute. "Did Lex say who else he'd be meeting with tonight?" 

"He only mentioned his father, but there's a chance other people might be there. His father doesn't always tell him everything." Clark noticed Chloe's troubled expression. "Do you think Lex and Mr. Luthor might be in trouble?" 

"When is Lex not in trouble?" Pete said sarcastically. "What would the team do, swim him to death? I don't think you have much to worry about, Clark." 

"Besides, Lex has had so many concussions since he's been in Smallville, one more can't hurt." Lana, Chloe and Pete all laughed at her joke, but Clark was silent. The meeting sounded suspicious and the last thing he wanted was for Lex to get hurt. Again. He'd just go check it out and make sure everything was going smoothly. 

Standing up and pulling a few bills for the coffee out of his pocket, Clark said goodbye to his friends. "I promised I'd meet Lex and make up for before." Chloe looked sad to see him go, but she covered it up quickly. "I'll call you later," Clark promised. It lifted her mood immediately and she told him to have a good time. He hoped he would, too. 

* * *

"Mr. Luthor, you don't understand how much this area means to the team. We've spent a significant amount of time cleaning the place up and practicing here. It's special to all of us," the captain of the swim team pleaded. His coach stood behind him and put a hand on the boy's shoulder in support. "We're asking you to find another location for your construction. Please." 

"Mr. Castle, I run a very efficient business as my son will no doubt tell you. I do not waste my time with sentimental attachments and emotional pleas." Lionel Luthor turned to his son and smiled. Lex tried not to shudder at the creepy attempt at friendliness. "Isn't that right, Lex?" 

Keeping his face carefully blank, Lex faced the coach and Freddie Castle. "I should let you both know now that I agree with you completely. This lake is obviously a beautiful place and you all care a great deal for it." Lionel cleared his throat. "However, I can concur that my father is very diligent in his business ventures." 

Maintaining his reptilian smile, Lionel wandered away from the shore of the lake and the openmouthed caves surrounding it. "The land itself is very attractive to people. I have no doubt that myself and my associates would turn a profit here." 

A rumble from the far side of the lake made Lex jump. Freddie Castle was looking at him strangely, his eyes practically glowing with anger. The lake started to churn unnaturally. Lex backed up, suddenly so uncomfortable he was abandoning his father's advice to maintain a brave front. "Dad?" 

Waves began to crash loudly and run over the shore. Even the coach looked worried. Clouds formed over their heads and the air became thick as it would before a storm. Lionel looked back at the group he'd moved away from. "What is it Lex?" 

"I think we ought to end this meeting. It looks like it's starting to storm." The swim captain was still staring at him, looking more and more menacing by the second. Lex took another step back and nearly fell onto some rocks that were in front of one of the many openings. 

"Nonsense. I don't believe Mr. Castle was finished with his proposal." Freddie didn't look up at the sound of his name. Behind him, the lake was coming alive. The waves were getting higher and higher, violently breaching the shore. 

"You'll be very sorry if you decide to fill this lake in, Lex. It's important to me." 

The coach grabbed Freddie by the arm. "Let's go. We're done here." The boy easily threw his coach off of him. "Freddie!" 

"Don't do anything you might regret, Lex. I will make you sorry." The sky was practically black and lightning streaked threateningly across it. Lex could hardly see the turbulent lake that was hardly thirty feet in front of him. 

"Are you threatening my son, Mr. Castle?" Lionel hardly had time to finish his question before a veritable tidal wave swept over the four men. Lex found himself swept into one of the caves and tossed around by the enormous wave. The water retreated quickly but had filled the cave with at least two feet of water. Lex sputtered and coughed. 

"Dad!" His father was not in the cave with him. He heard the man and the swim coach yelling for him outside. There wasn't enough time for them to attempt to help him out before another wave swept in and knocked him back a second time. When he was able to surface again, he could no longer hear any voices. 

Getting to his feet, Lex tried to feel his way toward the mouth of the cave. A smaller wave dampened his progress. Suddenly he heard another voice calling to him. "Clark?!" Clark was not five feet into the cave when Lex saw the next wave forming behind him. "Clark, we have to get out of here." 

"I know. Come on." Clark grabbed Lex by the hand, but he wasn't quite fast enough. This wave knocked both men back with astounding force. They both surfaced to the sight of crashing rocks blocking their only exit. The water was still only about three feet high but it wasn't showing any signs of stopping. 

Lex looked frantically around for Clark, but there was practically no light coming in, only the occasional flash of lightning gave Lex a brief view of his surroundings. "Clark, where are you?" 

"I'm over here, Lex, " Clark said softly. He sounded strained. Lex clamped down on the panic brimming inside of him. If Clark was scared, something was really wrong. 

"Are you alright, Clark?" The boy was at his side in a few seconds. He put his hand tentatively on Lex's arm. "Clark, what's wrong?" 

"I'm fine, I just feel a little dizzy. I must have hit my head." Clark could feel the meteors within the cave. They weren't nearly as bad as they had been outside the cave, but it still made his stomach and head ache dully. It would be difficult for him to get himself and Lex out of here with the meteors affecting his strength. Lex started against him at the sound of another wave crashing against the rock barrier. 

"How are we going to get out of here, Clark?" 

"I have no idea. But I saw your father outside, safe. I'm sure he'll go and get some help." Lex nodded distractedly, wishing he could see Clark and feel comforted. He shivered slightly as the water continued to rise below him. "We'll be okay, Lex." 

There was no reply. Lex shivered more violently. The water level was to his knee now. If anything, the rain and the waves sounded like they were getting worse. The lightning was flashing more and more frequently, scaring Lex more than he'd care to admit. When thunder rattled the cave, Lex involuntarily grabbed onto Clark. "Sorry." 

"Don't worry about it." He pulled Lex closer and realized exactly how cold the water when he felt Lex's shaking. "God, you're freezing." 

"Well, I hadn't planned on going swimming," Lex joked in a shaky voice. Lex tried to get a good look at Clark. He gasped when the lightning gave him the cursedly short view of wet, perfect Clark. White T-shirt clinging to his all too adult chest, wet jeans practically cemented to him. Lex mentally smacked himself. Here they were, in mortal danger once again, and all he could think about was how hot his savior was. 

Thinking Lex was hurt or dying of hypothermia or worse, Clark pulled his friend closer. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, nothing." Afraid to look, but unable to resist, Lex saw that the water was at his hips. "Clark, I hate to say this. But we're fucked." 

"No, we're not, Lex. I promise you, we'll get out of here." Lex didn't trust himself to answer positively, so he only moved his body closer to Clark's. Clark was so warm, even in the freezing water. He bit back the urge to say so. 

"So, what do we do while we're waiting for my father to get someone down here to rescue us?" 

"Marco Polo?" 

"Funny." Lex was shivering more violently. "Clark, I think you're going to be responsible for keeping me conscious in a little while." 

Refusing to panic, Clark started to remove Lex's jacket. At Lex's startled gasp, he explained, "It soaking wet, and it'll just drag you down if we need to start swimming." Clark threw the undoubtedly expensive jacket into the waist-deep water. "We'll just have to get into some deep discussion to keep you awake." 

"About what?" 

"I don't know, you could tell me something ... interesting about yourself. Anything that will keep you focused." Lex didn't say anything to that. "How about you tell me about college, or boarding school? I've always wanted to know about that." 

"Why do I feel like this will be our last conversation ever, Clark?" 

"It won't." 

Lex groaned. "Clark, you don't want to know about either of those things. I don't even want to tell you in this potentially deadly situation." 

"You want us to die not really knowing each other?" Clark felt horrible trying to guilt information out of Lex. But it might be the only way to get Lex talking and Clark admitted that he wanted to know now more than ever. "Tell me about high school, Lex." 

It took a few minutes, but Lex cleared his throat and leaned heavily against Clark. "I hated boarding school. And it hated me." Clark laughed softly. "When I went there, I didn't have any friends. Actually, I hadn't had any friends in my elementary school in Metropolis either, but this was worse. I couldn't go home and be surrounded by familiarity or see my mother when I wanted to." 

"Was she alive when you were at school?" 

"No, she passed away when I was in the seventh grade. But it was her idea that I go to England. She'd went when she was a girl and she loved it." Lex smiled to himself. "She told me all about it before she died. How she used to sneak out at night with her friends and meet local boys. Which is strikingly similar to what I did when I was there." 

"You went out at night to meet boys?" Clark joked. There was a long silence. "Lex, I was kidding around." 

"I wasn't." Lex sighed. "If that makes you uncomfortable..." 

"Lex, I'm not exactly shocked," Clark said carefully. Lex gave him a curious look. "You, uh, wear a lot of purple." 

Lex burst out laughing and nearly slipped into the water. After a few minutes, Clark laughed with him, happy to break Lex's morbid mood. "Clark, you know that wouldn't necessarily mean that I liked men." 

"Of course not. But you really, really like purple." Lex laughed again. "You know I was just kidding. It wasn't that." Lex quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, it was partially that. But mostly it was a... a feeling." 

"A feeling? I never pegged you for having gaydar, Clark." 

"I never pegged you for trying to hide it." Lex was speechless at that. "Most people think I'm a little slow about those things. My parents, Chloe, Lana, even you. I can tell, Lex." 

"You can tell what?" 

"When someone's interested at me." 

"You think that I'm interested in you?" It was Clark's turn to give Lex a look. "Okay, but I don't think anyone with a pulse would blame me." Clark didn't say anything. Lex watched the water cover his belt completely. "I hope that we get out of here, Clark." 

"Any specific reason?" 

"So I could possibly show you how much I really did like you on dry land." He took a deep breath. "Very dry land." Clark smiled. "Would you want that, Clark? Or would you rather I backed off quite a bit?" 

"I haven't really had the chance to think about it." He gave his friend an appraising glance. Lex was soaked, shivering, and obviously miserable. He knew that he really had thought about it before. Pete had teased him about Lex having a crush on him. Chloe had agreed, citing countless incidents when Lex had given Clark long, thorough stares and stood close enough to warrant a little suspicion. 

"You haven't thought about it once?" Lex tried to get his shaking under control. 

"Maybe once," Clark said honestly. "I'm thinking about it now." 

"That's because we're stuck in here together. You don't have much choice." 

"That may be true. But I'm still thinking about it." Lex gulped. He did not need to be consumed by his attraction for Clark at this particular point in time. In fact, now would be the worst time to lose his concentration on staying alive and fall into a fantasy about Clark. 

He backed away slightly from Clark's comforting warmth. "Clark, I think it might be essential to our survival that we not think about this right now. Mine, at least." Clark responded by bridging the gap between them, his body suggestively close to Lex's. "Maybe, you misunderstood me, Clark." 

"Nope." Lex gaped at him. "I've thought about it, Lex. And all I really know right now is how much I want to kiss you." 

"Right now?" 

"Right now." Clark leaned in closer to Lex. "May I?" 

"Oh. I, uh, sure." Clark smiled a decidedly un-Clark-like smile, not showing his perfect, white teeth. He let his pink tongue sneak out and moisten his full lips. Lex felt his knees beginning to buckle and the water had nothing to do with it. 

At first, it felt like Clark was just breathing right over Lex's mouth, teasing him. The first touch of his lips was so soft, Clark's mouth tasting Lex's upper lip. He did it again with his lower lip. Lex tried not to make Clark go any faster than he wanted to, but he was aching to have that tongue in his mouth and feel Clark's hair in his fists. He moaned in distress when Clark pulled his mouth away after the first firmer touch. 

"Everything all right?" 

"You're doing this on purpose." 

"It's keeping you conscious, isn't it?" 

"Is that the only reason you're kissing me?" 

"No." Clark leaned into him again and this time let his mouth linger for more than a few seconds. His lips were frustratingly closed and Lex knew who exactly was in control of this kiss. He felt Clark's hand gently cup the back of his head, warming the cold flesh. Clark didn't press hard, but he was definitely guiding Lex closer to him. 

Lex carefully let one hand rest on Clark's soaking chest. It was firm and inviting, but he didn't want to scare Clark by groping him outright. Clark was getting slightly bolder as the kiss went on. Lex opened his mouth hopefully and Clark's tongue tentatively pressed against Lex's. Lex moaned happily and sucked at the intrusion. His hand took on a mind of its own, frantically rubbing Clark's chest and back. 

Clark pulled away suddenly and Lex cried out in frustration. "Clark?" 

"The water's going down, Lex." 

"Who cares?" He grabbed Clark by the shoulders and kissed him forcefully. His tongue was in Clark's mouth, trying to taste every inch of this fascinating boy. Clark pushed him away again. 

"Lex, as mush as I want to make out with you, we have to try to get out of here." He took a protesting Lex's hand and led him toward the front of the cave. 

"Clark?! Lex?! Can you hear me?" It was Jonathan Kent and what sounded like some others. 

"Yeah, Dad, we're okay!" Clark started to pull away some of the rocks that blocked their exit and it seemed that those on the outside were doing the same. Lex helped as best he could, but his fingers felt as if they were frozen solid. After what must have been a half an hour, the pair could see light coming through and a small opening tearing into the wall of stone. 

Pretty soon, Lex and Clark could fit through the opening and Jonathan, Martha, Lionel, and other townspeople were there to help them to safety. Lex was sitting on the bumper of an ambulance, wrapped in a dry blanket, recounting what had happened to the police. When he was done, Clark came over to him and sat down beside him. 

"How are you feeling?" 

"It's hard to tell." Clark touched Lex's knee gently. "I'm worried about us, Clark." 

"You know how I promised you that we would get out of there and be okay?" Lex nodded. "I'm going to make you another promise. I promise that no matter what happens between the two of us, I'll always be your friend. And we'll go through this together, and I promise that I'll be completely honest with you." 

"That sounds like a nice promise." Clark stood up. "Clark?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Why did you come here? How did you know?" 

"Chloe and Pete put the pieces together. The meteor rocks in the lake were affecting the swim team. They could control the water." Clark looked at his feet. "I was worried about you." 

"Thank you, Clark. Thank you for worrying about me." 

The End. 


End file.
